'i!,?.?^ARY OF CX)NGRESS 





III nil I 



AN 



®®i^®S®P?^ 



DELIVERED ON THE 22d FEBRUARY, 1832. 

ROBERT R. COI.LIER, Esc^. 



♦« 



APPOINTED 



331 THE CITIZENS OP FETERSBURGo 



*'I have dared attempt his praise." 



PRINTED BY YANCEY & WILSON. 
1832. 



-«2;*y., 



C ^ 



OUATZOI^. 



Fkiends and Countrymen : 

The j;reat events of a century have been evolved, since the 
hirth of llie niaa v. hose menoory we have assembled to honor. 
Atnid the vicissitudes of this period, crowns have crumbled and 
palaces decayed, and the permanent structure of Freedom, in a 
few favored regions, hath been erected on their ruins. Revolu- 
tion, in its devastating renovations, has effaced the deep foun- 
dations of empires ; and the fancied immortality of their founders 
has been loit in the quiveriogjs of the convulsion, or lives to 
dazzle and to terrify. But the fame of Washington has sur- 
vived the wreck, and flourishes io invigorated freshness. ^ Fos- 
tering virtue, and rebuking ambition which overleaps itself,Tirae, 
in his hurried flight, honors its fellowship, and the waste of ages 
will not wither it. Feeling anew its holy unction, on this hal- 
lowed day, and eschewing the mean spirit of adulation, vye re- 
view his virtues with solemn reverence, and, with gratitude, 
retrace his achievements; and rallying around the altar oi 
America's freedom, on this fit occasion, we renew, with reiiiQ- 
dled ardor, the vow of devotion and the pledge of union. 

Of these great events, none other has had so pervading and 
beneficial a bearing on the destinies of nations, as the Amerioan 
Kevolution. Originaiing in resistance to tyranny, — sustained by 
materials discordant, but inspired with the spirit of liberty and 
recruited for its service, — its onset, Qevertheless, seemed to 
threaten unmitigated disaster and subjugation. The defeat on 
Long Island, and Lee's capture, too well calculated to daoip 
the ardor of raw recruits, spirited up stout hearts to bolder ad- 
venture, and infused a sterner courage into the bosoms ol men 
preferring liberty to life and leaih to dishonor. And soon, wh^n 
adversity had convulsed the country into action, these wounds 
were covered with laurels, and these deep sighs silenced by the 
songs of victory. The masterly retreat from Trenton, the vic- 
tories at Princeton and Monmouth, revived the sinking spirits 
of the patriot army ; and though the Chief's best designs and 
boldest efforts were sometimes frustrated by incidents without 
the scope of human sagacity, his countrymen and Congress 
admired hisFabian caution or Carthagenian fierceness.and con- 
tided iu the constancy of his fortitude, which defied misfortune. 



Evoa the trlumphaat troops of Gates, ^ thouj;^!} faction mur- 
mured, viewed him, steadily, as the pillar of cloud by day, aod, 
by night, the fiery pdlar of the captive Israel ; aud clung to him, 
as their political Saviour, with a firm reliance which no slander 
could shake, and with a resolute love which no machiuatiou 
could subdue. 

As the storm gathered and its dangers thickened, friendships 
and resources sprang into action, as if by the creative touch of a 
special Providence. The alliance with France, and the arrival 
of her fleet, unfolded brighter prospects, and created a general 
joy. Even in the mother country, stretching her tyrannic arms 
of giant's strength, yet weakened by the stretch, to the romantic 
and devoted baul-s of the overflowing Ohio, and to those of ihe 
renowned and ancient Gao;ies, — even there, the fearless friends 
of the rights of man, aud they were not feeble, though few, 
iuv.^ighed with eloquence, and openly, against the accuised and 
unn-»iural principle of the war. Pitt, " whose wisdom bade 
the broils of nations cease," pronounced it to involve every 
characteristic of human depravitj, and to portend every humaa 
mischief to the people by whom it was engendered. The im- 
mortal Fox proclaimed it a ivar which drew the blood, the very 
sustenance, from the vitals of the country : which filled the land 
■with lamentations for their own brave countrymen slain in the 
cause af injustice, or recorded the righteous siruggles of their per- 
secuted opponents, nobly bleeding in ihe holy defence of their 
freedom. f Still did ministerial cupidity cling to so mighty aud 
profitable a portion of the empire, and contest the very right and 
legality to relinquish it. But all the profuse expenditure of Bri- 
tish wealth: all' the boldest efforts of British power; all the 
splendid exploits of British valor, though directed by Briiish 
skill, proved powerless and ineffectual against the smiling en- 
couragement of American Heroines and the God of Hosts, aui- 
mafing and aiding American gallantry, guided by lh3 genius of 
Washiivgton. 

Through a doubtful and protracted contest, he displayed a 
firmness that never wavered, and an integrity of purpose as 
perfect as his prudence. To prevent famine in the camp, he 
was forced to extort supplies for his army at the point of the 
bayonet % He deplored the expedient as subversive of discipline, 
and calculated to instil into his soldiery a disposition to plunder : 
but >!ie depreciation of the Congress-bills of ciedit, and the de- 

*lii..iisay'sLi(e of Washington) p. 84. 
tMoclern Europe, by Jones. +Rainsay, p. 7D. 



o 



ficieit manaiieinctit in iha Gomrais.snry Department, cr/a3j>ji'C',! 
to laave hitn no alrornatlve is^or did tlie pcrprexitics of povesly, 
unsiipplied arsenals an(i ofnnry m-igazinos, alono retiiH hs'^ 
raarcii to triumph. The aboriginal Savage, iustij^ated by the 
depravity of British emissaries, terrified the tVoatier settlement^; 
with dreadful repetitions of inhuman crueUies. Tho Tory and 

the Traitor let them sleep ; they withered beneath his jz;!ance, 

and sunk under the }i,lory of his destiny. The e?:eitioj; iiazardi 
of rapid rivers and trackless wilds, in the constant discharge of 
his arduous duties, were cut'ountered and compassed with cau- 
tion ud courage. The s(>ii"it of his snldiershi[>, — fertile in expe- 
dients, prompt in iraproviuj? every advaotftge, sole nn in conflict 
and serene in coiiquest, — was perplexed by multifiirai and con- 
fluent difficulties, which, rolling- on like the billows of the ^reat 
deep, and each emulafiog its precursor in heif^rit, espende.l their 
vigor, against the tower of strength, and subsided in vanity. 
Amid the toils of the tented field, detecring ?.m\ hafflins the 
strataji;eins and skill of a widely spread en-miy, he manaiTed the 
diplomatic relations of his country, exposed errors of civil niau- 
a^esnent, and diflust^d the iovarialde li,,ht of a steadfast zeal in- 
spiriting his restorative energy. Lloquent in patriotism, nud 
ever ready to hazard liis persona! popularity fi»r the good ofhis 
country, his piirsuasive influence with the Legislature of Ver- 
mont, bold among the bravest in the fi^ht with the forei;.aj foe, 
was happily exerted to extinguish ''the sparks of civil til^cord 
which were kindling into a flaase."* Great without effort, pa- 
triotic without tumult, exerting his induence without indignity 
find his authority without arrogance, he arrested the inclination 
to mutiny jn thai uncjad army which had attested, lo the world, 
that Americans were as devoted to freedom and terrible inarms, 
as they had been tolerant of unjust exactions and hwnhlc in re- 
monstrance: in that untrained army which had wrung renowu 
from disaster,! and snatched the trophies of triumph hmu de- 
feat : in thaif unpaid army whose skill and valor won, at York 
Town, with the aid of a gallant nation, enduring renown which 
"the winds of Heaven will not visit roughly," even after the fame 
of Marengo and the Nile shall have grown dim with age ; and 
which imparted a brighter lustre to the benevolent aid of the 
then noble stranger, the grandeur of whose philanthropy, un- 
awed by tyranny and magnificent amid its ruins, now rivals, in 
efficacious expansion, the ubiquity of his lame. 

The eyes of all liurope were uow fixed on '' The Soldier of 

*ilainsay, n. Ml. tTlie Battle at Guilford Couriljousc. 



G 

America," whose gio'T was so great that he had hecoine the 
tenoi* of tvratits, aod the i'ouuder of States. The pre-ernineoce 
of the conqueror of the best {j;eaerals and dUcipliDed troops, with 
an untrained force, liad been subjected to so many trials as to 
alH-'id every proof of its permanency. He was elevated to a 
moral height, resembling the cliflf of some lofty promontory, 
coinlmandin}; an extensive prospect He had inspired the army, 
which ho had oft led to victory, with the firmest reliance on his 
raartial genius, and the most resolute love for his person. He 
had transfused into his subordinates, even a portion of his owa 
laborious application, and recuperative energy, and command- 
ing intelligence. Amid theexcitation of the clash of arms and 
the din of battle, animated by his voice and th« hope of victory, 
they " could jest with danger and laugh at death." Pure and 
sublime indeed, then, mtist have been his love of liberty and of 
his liberated country. If any one of nature's " multiplying vil- 
lainies" had seized his soul and made it rash, if restless ambi- 
tion had occupied one avenue to the citadel, the crisis was too 
propitious, and the temptation was too magnificent, to have beeu 
resisted. Had he attempted, however, to pluck the forbidden 
fruit, to direct the discontents of an unrequited army to his owa 
aggrandizement, I doubt not, some Brutus had reserved a 
dagger lor the aspiring C^sak. ; and the glory of Washington. 
wherein he was worthy, would not have been extenuated, nor 
the ofTeucef enforced, for which he had suffered death.* But 
America was not destined to bleed and weep at the sight and 
the recital of this tragical scene a iw l il^ <ii ivhl£ab w juI4j . The 
splendors of power dazzled not his imagination, and the insin- 
uating prospect of sovereignty could not cajole his judgment, uor 
<!elude his love of man. Rising in goodness, above the vulgar 
level of the great in other ages, he trampled under foot a Cesap^'s 
fame, aud gave assurance of a new and -obler destiny. 

Here, my countrymen, T might pause, and, in the just exul- 
tations of natioofil pride, contemplate the noblest Hero that has 
Hugmeoied theglor es of his race, and relieved the blood staiof'd 
chronicles of national conflicts. But the greatness of the Ame- 
rican Chief shone singularly beautiful and conspicuous in his 
surrender of power; and the mingled joy with the taintless tears, 
\vhich mantled the irianly cheeks of "the companions of his glory,*' 
when he bade them adieu, sanctioned his objurgation of vaulting 
ambition, and sanctified iheir deeds to man's bettered condition. 
Jletiiitig from the head of au army, flushed with victory anti 

""Cihakspcare's Julius Cpcsar. 



triumphant over itself, to rn'mjiile with the people, an equal 
amidst equals, io the quiet seeues of private life; his elevated 
soul embraced witti ready delight the unambitious cares oi a 
Farmer. The energies of his inventive mind were vigorously 
devoted to this primary and essential art, and directed to the 
lemoval of radical errorswhich infected the cultivation of his na- 
tive soil — errors, which have not been and will not be eradica- 
ted, until the removal of a blij^htrng curse, shall visit us with 
its renovations. Here, in the domestic and social circle, scat- 
tering charities and casting comfort into the cup of wo, like the 
sun of Heaven, he diffused light, aud warmth, and luxury around 
him. Here, in the midst of the people, like Hkneca with bis 
pupils, he stimulated them to iaudlectual and moral advance- 
jneot, and commended their effors to objects of national and 
permanent utility. Modestlj receiving uncounted tributes of 
grateful respect, his calm dignity gave a gentle grace to his stero 
renown, whicti had not gathered half its lustre. Ld<e the victor 
of the VoLSci, awaiting his summ)us agaiast Pr.EiVISte, he was 
ever prompt in his obedience to his country's call ; and soon, 
when required to renew his public service, though in a capaci- 
ty more congenial, he relinqui-hed, with unaffected reluctance, 
the endearments of his chosen retreat on the consecrated hank 
of the Potomac. 

Raised to the highest station in the gift of the people whose 
freedom his genius had accomplished, and whose gratitude he 
enhanced by this sacrifice to their interest; he encouutered, ivith 
*' a real diffidence," the complicated cares otempire. Nor were 
the t. nergy and sagacity of the Statesman, less potent and astute, 
than his martial genius had been chivalric and illustrious. He 
carried into happy and harmonious execution the powers of the 
gov rnment, " uniting security with strength," which he had em- 
inently contributed to establish. The rightful authority of thi? 
Federal Government, is such, that it is not within the constitu- 
tional competency nf the people's agents, elected for purposes 
of ordinary legislation, to enlarge it by a disruption of reserved 
rights, or the exercise of doubtful powers ; nor to lessen it by a 
resumption of the rights relinquished by the States, for their com- 
mon benefit. Its powers were intended to pervade the confed- 
eracy, for necessary national purposes, with as much energy as 
the constituted authorities extend exclusively over the respecfive 
domestic concerns of the several States, which, yet retaining the 
original impress of sovereignty, and in the full vigor of youth, 
are capable of astonishing exertions, when stimulated to them. 

Throughout his civil magistracy, he evinced a love of justice 



■6 

wliich liis ardent love of country couUl not seduce,* nnd the 
foresight (u his councils secured the confidetice of his constitU" 
cuts. Ho displayed a dignity of office, which confirmed the af- 
fection of a free people, and his mora! couraj;^ awed the fierce 
iiisur^eut into uaresistiii}; oltedience to the laws. Presiding over 
the diversified ftffairs of a widely spread nation, his fost' ring 
care was extended to all ; to the commerce of the North, en- 
riched hy its industry, a;;d enlerprize, and intelligence ; to the 
aj^ricuiture of iho Sout!i, " the cherished object of solicitude to 
Coligny, and Shaftcshury, and Locke;" and to the West, he 
looked with a libcjrality commensurate with the promise of its 
future greatness./ The li;^ht elicited from the rise and fall of 
aacientetnpires, and beaming; from the advanced political knowl- 
edge and intellect of the age, enabled him to grasp the, desti- 
nies of the States, and wield their energies with monarchical 
facilities and republican simplicity J n fine, such was the wis- 
dom of ills policy, and the philanthropy of his counsels, and the 
compreheosiveoess of his views, that with the aid of the co-or- 
dinate b'-anches of the government, •and the co-operation of his 
patriotic compeers, he extricated the country from ths want of 
credit in which it was "nianj;led: he laid the foundations of the na- 
tional character in the staid princij)les <if nrivate morality ; and 
exhibited, to the confusion of tyranny and despotism, thepre em- 
inence of institutions based on equality of rights, and illustrated 
by every attractive attribute which can command the support 
of the citizen, and claim the admiration of ihe enlightened 
friends of freedom. / 

While thus watchin;; with vigilance, and directing with wis- 
dom, the interests of his country, he was inaccessible to toreiga 
influence. Yielding neither to the honest prejudices ot his couq- 
trymen, growing out of the revolution, nor to their unabated de- 
votion to their recent ally — subduing those, and repressing this, 
he displayed a firmness in council, which forei;;n intrusion could 
not teirlfy, nor domestic faction shake ; and clinging, resolutely 
but dispassionately, to his pacific policy of friendship in peacCf 
and enmity in war, with all nations, and particularly then that 
the Republic might test and mature its untried institutions, and 
Dotdcvour in advance the resources of the future ; he preserved 
a strict neutrality in this crisis impending portentous results. 
Thus America, unsullied in her honor, and eventuall^f advanc- 
ed in her interests, was rescued by him, whose arm was a for- 
tress, and whose name was a host, frooi the terrific eniangle- 



'Ramsay, p. 259. 



vaents of ;i revolution, the chief actor in which, conceiving the 
idea of universal conquest, and gainiuK a reMlm at every battle, 
snbjecleu, in his cart^^er, the people and tlieir potentated, from 
Lishuu to Mus^cow,* to his general orders, and to the vast se- 
quesiraiioo, \vhich he prescribed: — who, though he did some 
goon lu dragging captive tyranis in his train, despoiled the rising 
beauiitis ol recent Republics, and defaced " the title of Attila lo 
the scourge ol God :" — 

«« Wliose game was empires, and whose stakes were thrones ; 
Whose table, earth— whose dice were human bones:— 
Behold the grand result in yon lone Isle, 
And, as thy nature urges, weep or smile." 

Thus instrumental in securing the trophies of a Revolution, 
•which li) tne end of time will be an honor lo ihe age which ac- 
complished it; he abandone<l, forevi-t, the illureraenis of oliice 
and the seductions of patronage, which charmed noi him, except 
in the a<lvancement of his country's destinies. 1 his unparal- 
leled occurrence, this splendid contempt of herediiary power, 
gratilied his gratelul countrymen ; but the rulers ot nations were 
*' abashed at the majesty of bis virtue " i\ . mortihed ambition, 
no hope ol higher othce, prompted his dignified retreat, which 
subserved and exemplified the institutions of the Republic, 
The freedom oi reason and of right rejoiced; and the poet 
proclaims : 

" Where may the wearied eye repose, 

V\ hen gazinjj on the great, , 

"Where uenher guilty glory glows, I 

Wor despicable state ? 
Yes, one — the first — the last — the best— 
Ihe Caicinnatus ol the West, 

V\ hom envy dared not hale, 
Becjueath d the name oi Washington, 
To make man biush there was but One!" 

Yet he had not done enough ; and in the fulness of his pa- 
triotism and philauthropv. he gave that last legacy to posterity. 
Fcdiow its light, ray countrymen; ii is the blended light of virtue 
and wisdom and, in moral sublimit}, rivals the milu glory ind 
mi'ijiled beauties of the raini)ow. It issues, a-* it were, from the 
toiiib of him who was the b^paminondas of your fathers in ele- 
vating the glory of bi> country : who was ihe refuge of their 
hope in the dark hour ol adversity; their pilot in the storm, and 

*Modern Europe, p. G03. 



fi 







10 

the pillar of thRipstrenK;t.h, amid the rumbling vibrations of th 
oorr sil.sioii. The dearest ho[>es of ttn.' Iiuinao race, ' id \ou 
follow its monitions; bid you eschew the stnfe of party vjiiirit ; 
bi<i you rec«>llect that iuterest is a rock, and the fervor oi n-^n- 
sieut sentiments is«*tubble; ao'l, theietore. be ju«t and firm v. ith 
ail nations, and partial to none. Forget not that lair national 
reputation is as valuable and important H!< independence itself: 
tii.«t it carries aong with it a cha in ivnicb wins upon the 
world; which claims respect Iroin all, aud extorts it even from 
obstinate hostility. Rejoice that this fair character has beeu 
preserved inviolate ; and 

♦' While one great clime, in fu!i and free defiance, 
Yet rears her crest, uiiconcjner'd and subimje ;'* 

■while the lustre of our Fathers' {glorious deeds yet illumines our 
onward march, and this day's associations kindle afresh our 
gratitude; let us assume the solemnitief of •• their pied-e of ife, 
of fortune, and of sacred honor," aud re assert the firm and 
holy resolve to transmit their rich gifts to posterity, with tho 
sign, and seal, and attestations of an honorable conveyance. 

To preserve this character, the integrity of the L'nion of these 
States, is essential ; and, surely, all the solemn responsibilities 
that can affect the p;itriot's heart, and enkindle national pride, 
ccmspire to enforce the serious contemplation of the mighty 
magnitude of the object * Recur to the orijiin of America ; and 
can any other people lioasl a nobler aud fairer descent ? Old 
Koine, — the brij^htest name in the annals of antiquity, — ^ongia- 
ally a race ofsheprerds and robbers, proudly domineered over 
the then known world, and rapine made her rich, and the f)er- 
Becutionsshe inflicted made her powerful In reviewing the rae- 
m rahie series of revolutions.which ultimately subverted the vast 
fabric of the Roman Empiie, the work and wonder of thirteea 

*j5i)me ofthese thau^lits are Tom Paine's. The l\o. of the '-Crisis" 
(13) from vvliioh tliev are borrowed, I would commend to be read, twice 
a week Cor twelve nr>iitlis, by all who even tlun/c of "calculating ilie 
value of the Union:" aud i' this:, and tl\eir own sober reflections, wdl 
j>ol cure their liallucinalioiH, the patriot must exclaim in wrath '' Fa- 
ther, (orgive them ; t*'cy know iiol what they do " nm why art not 
these writings ot Paine more generally read 1 is it because men tve 
disposed to bury with his bones the good wnicli he did, and let Ins .*vil 
deedniive only to mislead, or to be execrated ! — I hey are the beautiful 
:i!id forcible productions of genius kindled by the torch of Kevolmion — 
they were originally inieniied to st;iniil:i!e our Fathers in their batiiing 
for ireedom, and !io change ofcircuiistances has as jei rendered them 
inapplicable, qr robbed them of iheir force. 



11 

centuries, we sorrow over the extinction of Roman liberty ; we 
rejoice m the desiructi<m of Reman despotism. But the colo- 
nists of America, spurning the oppressions of kindly power and 
priestcraft, and stimulated by the bold spirit of freedom and ad- 
venture, sought and found, in these Western Wilds, an asylum, 
and a land of pro;nise * The honors of a new cniation were 
entrusted to them, and they were energetically alive to all the 
high and solemn responsibilities of the trust. FiUcounterinjj the 
iierce savage of the forest, they conciliated his favor, or re;>ell- 
ed his ferocity, and offered to him the comforts of civilize.'! life 
and the light of revelation. They endured privations and accu- 
mulated difficulties, without a thought of yielding submissively. 
Stirred up, by In<!ian outrages against the religion of humani- 
ty, to the highest agony of hu'j.an hatred; roused from hum!)!© 
remonstrance, to manly, chivalric an resolute resistance, as the *" 
tyrannies of the mother country increaseil, they rose to empire hy 
the accomplishment of a revolution which has contributed more 
than any other event of man's achievement, to irradiate the 
world by the diffusion of the light of liberality, and of free go- 
vernment. 

Thus the character of the colonists correspnnderl with the re- 
vobiiion; and the objr;ct of that great event being secured with 
the surest guarantees, our fathers, great in yrence and peaceful iti* 
greatness, attested, by their transactions at home and nesotia- 
tions abroad, that their honest virtue was equal to their heroic 
fortitude, which had set danger and misfortune at defiance. 
These lisringuisiinii cliaracteristics of their career, invited iho 
contributions of the tyranny of the Old W^orld to people the 
New, and the virtue of the adventurers improved it t^stablisb- 
ing Religious Freedom ; tearing up the long-laid foundations 
of primogeniture's proud structure, the withered limbs of tyran- 
ny expired, and they erected an edifice in the construction of 
"which, and even in its repairs, the direction* of the people are 
sovereign. In the management of its various aparttnenis. the 
people's delegated servants are accountable to them ; and na 
restraints are imposed, except such gs are common andco-elIi_ 



* Tiip emigrants from the Tllgldands of Scotland nnd tlio Islands of 
the Hebrides, wedded lo tlie cn.stoms oftlieir ancestors, and tlie princi-. 
pies of primitive equality, contributed niiscli !o the cultivation ofihe land;' 
and fli.«(la.ning England's unjust demands — whi'di renewed in ilieir re- 
membrance tne oppressions, produ* ed hy the raised rents oCtlitir land- 
ed |)ro[)rielors, from which most of them had tied and (bund rejuge— ; 
ihey accelerated, by ilicir influence, the jjrand event which ilieirvalor 
aided lo efiectua'.e. 



12 

cient ; extending over all, l»y the sanction of the many, for the" 
benefit of ali. And whenever, in their tnultiplyiiig; and compli- 
cated concerns, the diversitieij of interest, and inis<i;ui(led zeal, 
distract tlieir councils, anri dissuade the <ii;eneral harmony, a firm 
forhearance and the eloquent expostulations of patriotic broth- 
erhood (have succeeded, and) cannot fail to correct the evil, and 
to prove that any momentary discord, which may threaten to 
disturb " the full tide of the successful operation of the experi- 
ment." 1.9 /c/rmow?/ yet to he understood. 

This n pufation, without a blemish, and above suspicion ; 
this superstructure, furnished and fitted up for freemen, and the 
rich heritable of a country " advancing with s;i^antic steps, in 
a5;riculture, commerce, and the arts", in all that ennobles man 
and di;:nifies a nation, vvere given to their children; who have 
shewn that they are the sons of their sires ; have since evinced, 
at New Orleans, their skill and valor, and, on the Ocean and the 
Lakes, that 



a braver choice of dauntless spirits, 



Did never float upon the swelling tide." 

They have now risen to an enviable eminence. Free, inJepen* 
den? and powerful, their country, this land of promise, is empha- 
tically the home of the brave and the refuge of the persecuted. 
Tranquil within, and without the fear of aggression from 
abroad, they are re-pected by all the nation> of the earth. Re- 
sneeted, not as Stotes, but as United States. This is the nilioual 
sovereignty : this is the palladium of the nation's liberty; the 
nucleus of the States' strength, and the ark of their salety : and 
thi^- blood of his ebildren will visit with cryinu execration-*, ago- 
nizmg and awful and deep, the detestable treachery of him whof 
shall assail its sacred mtegrity, and his cowardice, who shall 
si rmk back from 'ts defence, whenever impious ambition, or un- 
hopeful hatred, shall threaten it rudely, or name it with irrever- 
ence 

But I am diverging from the subject of this crude sketch, and 
it might be considered unsjemly and obtri'sive to present other 
objects to your view. Surely, my allotted time would fail me, 
Tvijen every thought catches a theme, and every glance gathers 
arr»..nd somei»arrior, who has been first to the charge, and last in 
the retreat, in the conflicts of revolutions meliorating the moral 
condition of the human race- France, restless ao<l revolution- 
izing, commands the gift of an eulogy : FJritish tyrannies and 
Irish disubilities are yielding to the power of diffused intelligence 
2nd the ficedoni of speech, resisilessly urging, with the supre- 



13 

macy of the Press, the progrpss of the Imprescriptible rights of 
inaa ; and in reviewing the devasiatious of despotisui, I might 
pause and weep ver Polatui : the land of Kosciusko, whose 
kio^men were t<»rn, hy the deceitful Frederick, from the tombs 
of their fathers, and transphmfed iu Poineratva : the kinsrn a 
of Radzyvil, remembering; tiio uii>^etiled amount of Cathe- 
rine's bloody debt, and " jijaspiup; for the gore of serfs and of 
their Cxar :" Poland, deceived, and now bleeding ; mangled, 
bur not annihilated : lacerated in the couvuMve throes of slrug- 
gliug liberty, yet leaning on the trop iies and lighted by the 
torch of American achievement! I might visir, in lancy's view, 
" the moral desert." where Sparta, and Athens, an<l Rome 
once reared their crests, io all the sfately pride of beauty and 
haughty circumstance of power; and, with sorrow's pencil, lan- 
guidly delineate the debasement of huinau beings, ruled by 
'• a tvrant's slave," who, as if in abjert rivalry of Nero's san- 
guinary deeds and fate, " spreads death around him ; then, 
shuddering, meets his own" — Ther ', with the sullen " Ghost of 
Freedo.n," I might survey the gloomy ruins of crumbled colon- 
nades from which we have derived much of our literature and 
many laws, and in<lulge the pleasing, perhaps illusive, belief, 
that a relluent tide may yet carry back, the rich spoils of our 
experience, the lamp of liberty, which is never dimmed by the 
dissemination of its regenerating effects, to be relumed on the 
graves i»f Antoninus, and Socrates, and Cicero. 1 might; 
turn to a theme more attractive, and trace England's literary 
aai scientific grandeur, ascended to its meridian in the genius of 
Chatham and of Newton, and shedding, on America, the beams 
of its effulgent orb, which vvan soon replenished by the original 
radiance of Henry's eloquence, and reflected from "the sky of 
Franklin," and will, ere long, I venture to predict, become a 
brighter luminary by the accession of borrowed light from the 
prditical wisdom of the philosophic Jefferson. But, although 
these topics claim kindred with the associations of this day, 1 
cannot dwell on them ; nor will I longer disturb the current of 
your thoughts inspired bv the occasion, the rhetoric of which 
■would do justice to the memory of Him. the renown of whose 
unexampled career, yet anima es the advancing destiny of 
America, and mingling witti the magnanimity of Lafayette's 
untiring efforts, visits the Ruropeau subject of tyranny, invig-o- 
rates his enervated love of liberty, and bids him resist and ha 
free. Indeed, he was without an exemplar and without a rival. 
He led armies to victory, and valiant captains of other timcj 
had bravely conquered, lie was undaunted amid dangers, aiid 



i4 

devoted to his country; hut Cato and Camillds had left their 
li}!;ht shiuiui; ou his pathway. Circled hy the gU)ries he created, 
and eht^f'red h\ the suiJle of a nation's Ufve, he converted the in- 
struraents of the soldier into the utensils of a farmer ; hut Cin- 
ciNNATUS, with a {iliiomering li;;ht, had ^one hefore him. Ta 
these illustrious displays of patriotism, he added the energy of 
wisdom in the aCTairs of Stale; and Arnericans, with a proud 
preference, eoro! his name first on the list of the few chosen 
spirits, who have l)een conspicuous ahke in the cahiwet and thd 
camp. He was just through life, and caimm dea h; and Aris- 
TiuES had adorned the hrighiest days of Athknian greatness, 
and "Socrates died like a Philosopher. ' But it was reserved 
for Washington, the single heir of spotless fame, to eoucen- 
trate in his own these noblest traits of m»h!e characters, to the 
exciusKiO of every vicious propensity and o\ every aspiration of 
unchastened amhition : and to heautify this garland of glories, 
and to crown this cluster of virtues, in the giddiest heights of his 
elevation, uith the humility <»f "a frail child of dust," he would 
cry in faith : God of ^'Uk Fathers ; be, thou, our God, and 
THE God of our children. 



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